19.12.2025, John Simpson
As we come to the close of 2025, I want to take a moment to reflect on what has been a truly successful and transformative year for ECIA.
In the first quarter, our collective strength was tested during the industrial action. I am proud to say that ECIA stood firmly alongside our clients and members, providing the guidance and support needed to maintain stability and confidence during that period.
We have focused on increasing engagement with our existing members whilst building deeper relationships with other relevant associations and training bodies. Our collaboration has also led to increased support for the UK Client Group, ensuring that the ECIA is providing the best possible support to all stakeholders.
This year also marked the first full review of the ECIA Constitution in over a decade. We removed outdated clauses, set the stage for revised membership grades effective from 2027, and introduced changes to the ECIA Levy from 2026. These reforms will reduce administration and save valuable time for our members.
Our annual conference tackled wide-ranging and critical subjects, from Net Zero in Wales to the Cheshire and Warrington Training Partnership and even the complex issue of medicinal cannabis in the workplace.
Our Operations Director, John Clark, realised the knowledge gap amongst senior members operating under the NAECI framework and has therefore developed and introduced Managers and Supervisors NAECI awareness courses. We are pleased to say that just this year, 600 participants have already completed the training, strengthening the industry’s knowledge base.
To further assist our members, we’ve advanced our procedures with improved guidance on unofficial action and Section 42.
Our collaboration with the ECITB continues to be vital, supporting regional meetings, shaping strategy for the next five years, and ensuring our members’ voices are heard as we tackle tomorrow’s skills demands.” Our joint project, Assuring Competence for Engineering Construction or ACE card, is starting to take shape and we hope that this will lead the way in Competence Assurance for the ECI as a whole.
Membership has grown by 23% in 2025, with many new members joining not just for NAECI-registered work, but because of the excellent support of our regional industrial relations managers.
In April, Paula McKeown joined as ERA for the Northwest, completing our team that now collectively brings over 200 years of industry expertise. Their individual successes are something I am immensely proud of.
Mike Hughes re-energised the IRC membership and closed out the FAST project at Fawley Refinery.
Tony Lloyd has been instrumental in the Tees Valley Regional Skills Consortium and plays an active role on the Management Committee. This multi-agency collaboration includes the onboarding of 141 learners on the scholarships programme.
Tony also worked collaboratively with our members to provide bespoke SPAs and led many projects to successful completion. Working with Altrad, signatory Trade Unions, and the National Joint Council, Tony developed a bespoke Welfare Arrangement for a major Teesside chemical plant shutdown. With ALTRAD and Bilfinger, Tony developed the INEOS, Saltend, A5 Event Agreement. Another successful event without any IR issues. He was also instrumental in the development and approval of the Puma Project SPA with our member Bilfinger.
To conclude his year, Tony held a Section 20 kick-off meeting for the Net Zero Teesside Project. We are looking forward to an eventful year in Teesside.
In Wales, Jeremy Goodchild reported the successful completion of the Valero Pembroke refinery shutdown, and also no significant industrial relations issues across NAECI sites in the region this year.
Ken Kennedy is pleased to report the successful completion of the KG TAR at Ineos O&P Grangemouth to programme, with no IR issues and with additional support provided by the ECIA.
We’ve deepened customer intimacy through site visits, produced best practice videos and articles tackling industry issues like skills shortages, and transformed our communications. Our monthly newsletter now reaches over 250 subscribers and our member zone has over 120 active members. Our key platform, LinkedIn, has grown in followers to 2,000, amplifying our members’ profiles and sharing key industry updates.
Finally, Tony and Oli’s outstanding work in bringing new clients and projects into NAECI has provided long-term stability for member companies. This ensures that existing and future projects are delivered safely, on tim, and on budget.
2025 has been a year of progress, resilience and growth. From constitutional reform to skills development, from industrial action support to member engagement, we have stabilised our financial position and strengthened ECIA’s role as the trusted voice of engineering construction.
I want to thank each of our members, our partners, and our dedicated team for making this possible. Together, we are building not just for today, but for the future of our industry.